A pet microchipping event this weekend will help support a local animal rescue group.
The event, which is being put on by Broken Promises Rescue and Saanichton Village Veterinary Hospital, will see pet microchipping being offered for $30 with proceeds going back to Broken Promises.
“This event is great a way to encourage people to come out and get their pets microchipped,” explained Pamela Saddler from Broken Promises.
“Doing rescue work we get the nicest, loveliest animals who we may never get back home because they’re not identifiable whether it be because they have no tags, tattoos or a chip. I don’t think people realize how important it is to identify their pets.”
Dr. Philip Stacey from Saanichton Village Veterinary Hospital is offering up the clinic’s resources and staff time for the event on Sunday, July 13.
“Pamela had contacted us about it and I thought it seemed like a great idea. It’s a great way to get microchips out there at a discounted price which supports a good cause,” he said.
Stacey said more and more people are moving away from tattooing their pets in favour of microchipping.
“There are a few different ways to identify animals with the most popular being a collar and tags or permanent identification like tattooing or microchipping,” said Stacey.
“More and more individuals and organizations are going with microchips these days because they are more permanent than tattoos which can fade or can only be traced back to vet clinics that have moved or closed. For us, there’s really nothing more frustrating than getting a stray in that has a tattoo that you can’t read, and I would say well over 50 per cent of the tattoos that we can read take us back to a dead end because they are outdated.”
Stacey added microchips (about the size of a grain of rice) contain digital information that can be updated at any time if the pet owner should move or change. The chips are inserted into the animal’s neck and stay there forever.
“All vet clinics have microchip scanners now as well as organizations like the SPCA and the Humane Society, so if a lost pet is brought anywhere they will be able to track down the owner information,” said Stacey.
Saddler also added that many pet rescue groups like Broken Promises microchip any dogs or cats that they adopt out.
“Having a microchip inserted is really a small price to pay for piece of mind,” she said.
Those interested in attending the microchipping event on Sunday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. can email to reserve a spot at info@brokenpromisesrescue.com.
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com